Miss Bennet Will See You Now
by K.Jenn
Summary: Where Elizabeth Bennet is the conceited, straightforward CEO of Bennet & DeBourgh, and Fitzwilliam Darcy is a quick witted lawyer, with prejudice to spare. When they happen to meet in small town Meryton, California, sparks fly. It's a Modern AU / role reversal - so may be slightly OoC.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue: Chapter 1: somewhere in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California

"Ms. Bennet, Ms. Bingley on Line 1 for you." her secretary's trained, mellowed voice rang through the phone speaker, echoing in the quiet office. "Let her through," she said, pressing the small intercom button, her eyes not wavering from the screen as she studied the latest reports of her company.

"Lizzie!" came her best friend's voice a moment later, all sweet and charming, much like the owner herself. "Why are you still at work?! We need to get going, I want to be there before nightfall!" Lizzie grimaced, and glanced at the time - it forty minutes later than expected.

Hurriedly, she closed her laptop and began packing her essentials. "I'm sorry, I just got caught up - I'm leaving now!" She heard a sigh of resignation, and almost laughed - it had been this way since they met in the first year of college. Her getting caught up in work and delaying them.

"Okay, I'm hanging up - I'll meet you at the pad in twenty." "The pad? Matthew is going to have a field day!" Lizzie rolled her eyes, and unceremoniously hung up.

"Andy, have Frank be ready in twenty," she called out to her secretary, taking one last quick look around her to ensure she'd left nothing behind.

As the car pulled into the hanger, she looked up from her phone and spotted four people standing near the helipad. Sophia Bingley, smiling and excitedly waving at her, was a tall, willowy blonde with blue eyes - classically beautiful - with an easy going, charming personality to match. If she weren't Lizzie's best friend, Lizzie would have been inclined to dislike this chatty, extroverted girl. As it were, Sophia was the reason Lizzie socialized at all, and this trip was to be no exception.

Next to her, stood her two brothers - both older than herself - with an air of arrogance around them. The younger, Matthew, smirked at her as she exited the car and walked towards them. He stepped forward, kissing her on both cheeks as was customary, although he lingered both times.

She rolled her eyes, and slid out of his grasp, holding her hands forward to catch Sophia who was careening towards her in excitement. "Oh, I'm so excited you're finally seeing the house Lizzie! It's so pretty, and the neighbours are all so friendly! They bought me carrot cake, and banana bread, and all these delicious cookies! And they all seemed to be the best of friends," Sophia trailed off, sighing happily.

"Banana bread? Do you know how much sugar goes into that? Do these people have no concept of healthy eating?" Matthew said snidely, putting a hand on Lizzie's back and guiding her forward into the copter as if he had done it many times before. Lizzie rolled her eyes, allowing him to help her in.

The rest of the party began piling into the helicopter as well, Matthew positioning himself right next to Lizzie.

"I'm sure they know to not put too much sugar into it - really the bites I had were perfectly delicious. They were so nice to bake it themselves, though!" placated Sophia, putting on her headphones.

The rest of the conversation was put on hold as the pilot told them the safety features and flying time. The ride to Meryton, California, was just under three hours. As was expected, Sophia dominated the conversation with delightful anecdotes of her new neighbours. Matthew interjected each time with some snide comment or other, unwilling to accept that Elizabeth Bennet would be happy about going to a "backwater nowhere land" like Meryton, interspersed with not-so-subtle flirtations directed towards her as well. Marvin Bingley, the oldest of the Bingley siblings, was quick to agree with his younger brother, while his wife - a mousy thing with no distinct personality trait, slept the whole ride through.

All in all, when they landed at Netherfield Park, Sophia's new small town summer home, Lizzie was glad to get out of the confining company and happy to agree with Sophia about how much of a sanctuary her new house was.

Chapter 1: Single, ready to Mingle (and Settle Down)

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman, no matter how successful, rich and independent, must be in want of a husband. However little known the feelings or views of such a woman may be on her first acquaintance, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding society, that she is considered the rightful property of someone or other of their boys..

"My dear Mr. Darcy," said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that Netherfield Park is finally leased?"

Mr. Darcy replied that he had not.

"But it is," returned she; "for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it." Mr. Darcy made no answer.

"Do you not want to know who has taken it?" cried his wife impatiently.

"You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it." This was invitation enough.

"Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a pretty young woman from San Francisco that is also very, very rich; she came down on Monday in one of those new Porsche cars; and was so very delighted with it, that she agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that she is to move right before Christmas, and some of her staff will be in the house by the end of next week!"

"What's her name?"

"Sophia Bingley."

"Is she married or single?"

"Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A pretty young woman of large fortune; millions, I imagine."

"How old is she?"

"Oh, just about 25! What a fine thing for our boys!"

"How is that relevant for them?

"Come, husband," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of her marrying one of them."

"Is that her intention in settling here then?" "Intention! Nonsense, you know girls these days! Independent and having no use for men! But, it is so very likely that she may fall in love with one of them, and therefore I shall welcome her to the neighborhood with some banana bread as soon as she comes."

"What if she does not like banana bread? Or men?"

"Oh George, how you trouble me! If she does not like banana bread, I shall also bring along some chocolate chip." George Darcy smiled at the exclusion of the other possibility.

"And so, my dear, I must indeed go and see Sophia as soon as she comes into the neighbourhood."

"I am sure that is less than necessary. We will see her around somewhere or the other, this is hardly a large town."

"But consider your sons. What a good and comfortable set up it would be for one of them! And how spoilt my grandchildren shall be! The Lucases are determined to go, merely on that account, for in general, you know, they visit no newcomers. Indeed I must go, for it will be impossible for us to be on friendly terms from the very beginning if we do not! She might take offense at the snub, you know."

"You're being over-scrupulous, I'm sure. I dare say Ms. Bingley will be very glad to see you; and when I shall see her next, I shall assure her of my hearty consent to her marrying whichever she chooses of the boys; though I must throw in a particularly good word for Will."

"Oh, you will do no such thing. Will is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure he is not half so handsome as James, nor half so charming as Luke. But you're always giving him the preference."

"None of them really have much to recommend them to her," replied he; "they are all reckless and ignorant like other young boys; but Will, he has something more of quickness than his brothers." "George! How can you say such a thing about your own children?! You're always taking delight in vexing me with no compassion for my poor nerves."

"You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them almost every day these last twenty years at least."

"Ah, you do not know what I suffer."

"But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young women of worth millions and having fancy cars come into the neighbourhood."

"It will be no use to us, if twenty such should come, since you think they won't like my banana bread."

"Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty, I will meet them all in advance and ask them their preferences on banana and chocolate chip."

Mr. Darcy was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of thirty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develop. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper.

The business of her life was to get her sons settled and married so that she may have some grandchildren to dote on, and a roof over her head when her dear husband died; its solace was visiting and gossip.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Diner Da (sh) ncing

The Darcy household was as chaotic as could be expected with the diner dance that evening. And that was to say, that while the older three sons were quietly going about their day, the three louder members of the house - the youngest two and their mother, were creating a ruckus that could rival that of a house of five girls excitedly preparing for the dance.

James - serene, responsible and gentlemanly, at 29 was oldest child, and Will, the sharp tongued was second oldest. They were both using their cumulated days off from work to celebrate Christmas at home. About two years apart in age, they were each other's constant playmates, going through their lives' ups and downs in unity. Today, they sat, relaxing in their family room, one with a book in his hand, and the other working on a blueprints for a new woodwork project.

The middle brother, Marcus, a plain young man with religious inclinations, was holed up in his room, making a study plan for his bible study youth group.

Noah and Luke, 17 and 15 respectively, were the rowdier of the five, and certainly both loudest and most obnoxious. Currently, they were arguing over the number of a girl they'd gotten when they'd been at the park last week. It had been "three days, the perfect number of days to wait before you text a girl," and it was time to decide who'd get to text her.

Their mother, Mrs. Anne Darcy, rushed about the house, multitasking as she tried to find the perfect outfit for herself, - "parents being well dressed is a good impression on their children," - and pushed her boys to begin getting dressed themselves. The boys, being as typical as they could be, were confident in their abilities to take no more than a few minutes. They were even more confident about their mother's excited nerves getting the best of her every time they were to meet someone new.

Anne had gushed about Sophia since the very first day se'd taken banana bread (not chocolate chip), over to welcome the girl to the neighborhood. It had been "Sophia this," and "Sophia mentioned that," for the past few days to all that would listen.

"Sophia has promised that she's bringing four men, and three young woman with her as well when she returns from LA," Anne had tittered that day, when she met with Mrs. Lucas at their regular tea parlour. "She likes a big party, she said. Such a sweet, darling girl - oh, she'll be just perfect for one of my boys!"

As it was, when the party entered the diner that evening, it consisted of but five people - not eight, as Mrs. Darcy had hoped - Sophia Bingley, her two brothers, the wife of the eldest, and another young woman.

James and Will Darcy had, at the time, been talking to their friend Charles Lucas, drink in their hands, discussing the newest arrivals. Charlie, as he preferred to be called, had insisted that Sophie - as she preferred to be called - was truly one of the most delightful women of his acquaintance. She had a gentle, carefree laugh, and was eager to please and make new friends.

The sudden hush that followed the entrance of the five was much expected, considering that Meryton hardly saw the arrival of new people - and especially not those of such wealth. Both James and Will, who had yet to meet the illustrious Sophia Bingley, turned their attention to the party.

Sophia and her brother Matthew were noteworthy enough, Marcus and his wife less so; the attention of the entire party, however, was fixed on one Ms. Elizabeth Bennet.

She was absolutely beautiful, that was the easiest way to put it. Average height, but there was something in the way she carried herself that would not make you think she was short. Her features were sharp, aristocratic, her hair long and deep brown.

Will could easily, truthfully, say that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Sophia Bingley was pretty too, but there was something almost ethereal, Will thought, that made Elizabeth stand out. He didn't realize he was staring at her, so focused was he, until she turned her head to look directly at him, and gave him a small glare.

He broke contact awkwardly, although slightly put off, and turned to talk to James, only to find him in a similar situation as himself. James, shy as he was, was looking at Sophie with a slight blush on his face. Will grinned as Sophie began to walk towards them, smiling shyly back at James, accompanied by Mr. Lucas, this year's host. The rest of her party stayed behind, walking towards the drinks counter.

"Sophie, dear," Mr. Lucas said importantly, "these are the Darcy's." He pointed to each brother as he said their name, and Sophia, as expected, eagerly shook their hands, and insisted they call her Sophie - "just like all my other friends!". Will noticed, however, that she could barely take her eyes of James, who reciprocated with shy attention.

When there was a brief pause where nobody said anything, Will nudged James none too gently, who stumbled forward slightly, but received the message. "Sophie," he said softly, extending his hand, "would you like to dance?" She nodded eagerly, clearly having been waiting for that very question. Will smiled and patted himself on the back for a job well done.

James led Sophie out to the makeshift dance floor, where other couples were twirling and dancing to a popular, upbeat song. Luke and Noah were both loudly, outrageously flirting with two local girls, while Mrs. Darcy was to the side with Mrs. Long, Mrs. Morris and Mrs. Philips, gossiping, Will was inclined to assume.

He turned to Charlie, who was looking at the attractive couple as well, "Should we be nice boys and ask someone to dance too?" Charlie laughed, and nodded, setting off to find a partner.

A few dances later, Will broke off to the side, and walked towards the food counter, eager to get a bite into his suddenly ravenous stomach. He was once again joined by Charlie, who had brought along some more gossip, it seemed.

"So, it seems we've been graced by a very great woman," he said, mirth dancing in his eyes. Will raised an eyebrow. "Yes, apparently our Elizabeth Bennet is THE Elizabeth Bennet," he waited for recognition to flash in his friend's eyes. When it didn't, he continued, "come on Will, of Bennet and De Bourgh! Major shareholder and CEO? Worth over a fifty billion dollars?"

Will's raised eyebrows went higher. This information would certainly explain why she'd been walking around like she thought the entire town below her. She hadn't smiled once since she'd entered, he'd noticed, and was behaving like it was a total chore to even be around them. She'd only danced twice - once each with both of Sophie's brothers. But even then, she'd refused to crack even the smallest of smiles. It was shocking that she was such good friends with someone as sweet and charming as Sophie Bingley.

His younger brother, Marcus, having heard their tete-a-tete felt compelled to add that at 24 years of age, she was number seventeen on the year's Forbes 25 under 25, and was rumoured to be one of the most ruthless business adversaries.

Will was unimpressed. He nodded at Charlie who excused himself to talk to his father, and found his eyes - once again, though he'd never admit it - subconsciously searching for Elizabeth. He found her on the side of the room closest to him, tucked away in corner booth, furiously typing away on her phone. Her mouth remained in what he was beginning to assume was her signature frown. He moved closer - he wasn't sure why - they hadn't so far said a word to each other, despite being introduced, but stopped abruptly when he saw Sophie, eyes alight and slightly out of breath, eagerly sitting down next to her friend.

Close enough to hear their conversation, he leaned casually against the wall with his face turned toward the front, curious enough to not be ashamed by his obvious eavesdropping.

"Ohmygod, Lizzie!" Sophie exclaimed, "Come, you have to dance tonight!" Elizabeth didn't look up from her phone. "Come on! I hate seeing you sitting here all alone, all work, all the time! Let's have some fun!"

Finally, Elizabeth looked up, but her expression went from serious to arrogant almost instantly. "I most certainly will not dance." Sophie remained adamant. "You know I hate dancing with strangers! It's always so awkward, AND, both your brothers are already dancing - there's not a single other man here with whom it won't be an absolute punishment to stand up with."

"Oh, come on, now you're just being picky!" cried Sophie, "I've never met so many wonderful men before - and so many of them are genuinely very attractive!"

Elizabeth gave her a dry look, turning her eyes back to her phone, "You're dancing with the only handsome guy here. As always, it's a very pretty couple, so go and dance with him already."

Sophie put her hands on her heart and gave a joyous sigh, "Oh, isn't he just so gorgeous? He's just an absolute sweetheart. But oh, one of his brother's is standing right over there on the side - and, he's so handsome too! And I hear he's a lawyer! Should I have James introduce him to you?"

Will quickly gave an air of unaffected casualness, but Elizabeth didn't even look up from her phone before replying scathingly.

"He's tolerable enough, I guess, but he's hardly attractive to tempt me. Besides, I have no interest in inconsequential lawyers from backwood towns who're the apple of the town's eye just because they can say some fancy words and rub shoulders with the supposedly influential. You might as well go back to the poor chump you're currently charming and leave me to my emails."

Will stiffened, and thought he saw Elizabeth suddenly look up, but he brushed the thought away along with his feelings at the public snub. He was made of sturdier stuff. He walked off towards the bar, and when it was discussed later with his friends and family, he narrated the story injected with humor and casualness. He was certain, now, that while Elizabeth was a pretty face - a very pretty one, certainly - she was also the rudest, proudest woman he'd ever come across. He was also glad to hear, that due to her rudeness towards a town favourite - because that was exactly what Will was - she was dismissed altogether. At least, so Mrs. Darcy insisted to all and sundry.

Meanwhile, Sophie had made herself friendly with all the important people at the dance - both young and old. She was lively and unreserved, dancing to every song with a large smile on her face, complementing the superb choice of snacks, and graciously thanking everyone for the warm welcome they had given her.

So while the impression Sophie made on her new neighbours was glowingly positive, and she was one party away from being the new society darling, her dear friend was relegated to being the most forbidding, disagreeable lady, unworthy to be compared with her friend. Not even her fifty billion dollars, it seemed, could make up for that.

A/N: Ah, the infamous comment/snub has been made! Really, Elizabeth, why couldn't you have been nicer to poor Will? But hey - if you have thoughts, feelings, critiques or other general comments - leave a review and validate my existence.


	3. Chapter 3

All in all, the dance was deemed a success by all in the Darcy household, bar the incident with Elizabeth. James and Sophie had danced multiple times, Will had eaten some delicious snacks, Marcus had been delighted at the chance to perform on his saxophone; both Luke and Noah were happy to report that they'd danced almost each song with a different girl, and had gotten the numbers of several, which was all they really wanted from a dance at their age anyway.

Finally, when James and Will retired, long into the night, they finally got a chance to catch up. James, who was always reserved about sharing his thoughts on women he found attractive finally confessed to Will that he was completely enamoured by Sophie. James, Will was happy to note, couldn't stop bringing up Sophie and her many positive qualities. He even threw in good words for Matthew and Marcus Bingley calling them sociable, knowledgeable and generally good people.

Will listened in silence, but he saw the world cynically, unlike his brother. The two men had certainly been nice enough, but Will had noticed several times the small eye rolls, grimaces, and upturned noses.

The Bingley's were a respectable family from the North of the country, but both Matthew and Marvin were likely to forget more often than not, that the money they spent had been made by their father and their sister. Sophie had inherited her father's creativity, and through her affable manner and innate talents had become a product designer to several fortune 500 companies. Her brothers were both "in the finance market" - one an angel investor and the other a stock broker. When Sophie had decided to move to Los Angeles to be closer to her big-wig clients, they'd jumped at the chance to live the high society life. The idea of buying a summer house in the "country" was just as eagerly approved, because it was what everyone with enough money bought too.

When the Bingley household came down to breakfast the next morning, they found Elizabeth on her laptop at the table, tea forgotten on the side. She was frowning and typing away, barely acknowledging the siblings as they sat down. They were quite used to this, however, and calmly began pouring themselves their beverages of choice.

Sophie was the first to break the symphony of cutlery and keyboard keys, "Is everything alright?" Lizzie looked up distractedly, "hmm what? Yes yes, it's just this Avalon takeover."

Sophie nodded sagely, "Still not willing to sell?" "Nope," Lizzie popped her P, "but she will, I'm sure, she's got literally no other option."

"I'm surprised that she doesn't see the benefits of having B&DB take her over," Matthew interjected, "the money will go a long way for her, and goodwill alone will help her boost sales."

Elizabeth almost rolled her eyes at the obvious statement, but said nothing. She excused herself to take a call, grabbing a slice of toast as she went.

Her conversation with her most trusted advisor, her mother's brother, Daniel Matlock, did not go the way she wanted. He was insistent that to complete the acquisition of Avalon Inc, the company she was vying for, she needed to get another, specialised lawyer on board.

She was reluctant, of course. They'd already been working with a fork who had zero results so far. They'd been unable to even get hold on the client for an appointment. To her, they lacked finesse in their business sense, and were entirely risk averse - something that her deals banked on. Plus, she contended, this particular case was proving to be out of depth for their current lawyers. It was time for her give one push and she'd have closed this deal by herself.

But Uncle Matlock was adamant, reminding her of the fact that it had been over eight months since the negotiations first started. If they didn't close within the month before the sale season began, the acquisition wouldn't be lucrative anymore, and the lawyers would have wasted all her time and money.

And so it was that she agreed to a lawyer of Matlock's choice from one of LA's top firms. This particular man, he said, Bill something or other, was an exceptional closer. A meeting was set up in LA for three days hence, and she was happy to report that her day away from the Matthew Bingley would be much looked forward to.

Two days after the dance, Charles Lucas accompanied his mother to Longbourn, as was custom. The three men - James, Will and Charlie, the latter two of which were keen observers of characters - often met to hang out when their mothers visited each other. It was, to them, a good way to see each other often without having to plan it too much. With their busy lives, Christmas vacation was a time they all cherished because it meant hanging out with "the guys" with a beer.

Today, the two Darcy men were sitting atop bar stools at their kitchen island. James was texting away on his phone, a shy smile on his face, while Will worked for a new client. They greeted the Lucas's as they entered, offering Charlie a seat and a beer, and inviting Mrs. Lucas to the family room where Mrs. Darcy sat.

"So," said Charlie, nodding slyly at James, "do we have to guess who you're texting or…"

James hastily put his phone down, shrugging at him. "Oh, yes, they've been at it since that night," Will informed, taking a sip of his beer.

"It's nothing like that - I mean, she danced with you first!" James' defence fell flat. "That she did," Charlie replied, "but she's not texting me right now is she?" Will laughed. They paused their teasing as both mothers came into the kitchen, loudly discussing events of the dance as well.

"Perhaps you mean what I overheard between her and Mr. Robinson; didn't I tell you already?" Mrs. Lucas was saying. "Oh yes, he was asking Sophie how she liked our diner dances, and whether she'd had a chance to talk to any men she thought handsome, and WHICH she thought the handsomest?"

Mrs. Darcy tittered, eagerly asking what it was that Sophie said, while the three men coughed down guffaws. Their townspeople really were incredibly inappropriate.

"Well," replied Mrs. Lucas importantly, leaning in towards the boys so as to include them in the conversation despite their expected lack of actual curiosity, "she said that our James was the most handsome man there," she winked at James, who coloured and looked away, "and that she was excited to dance with him because he was so very nice too!"

Mrs. Darcy was beyond pleased, "Such a wonderful set of siblings, aren't they?" "Oh, yes, and Matthew is so very intelligent!" Mrs. Lucas agreed. "If only Elizabeth Bennet had been like either of them. Such a rude girl, isn't she, Will? Poor thing, getting called merely tolerable!"

Will rolled his eyes, but Charlie had a delighted smirk on his face.

"I wish you wouldn't put in Will's head to be offended - she's such a disagreeable girl, it would honestly be QUITE terrible to be liked by him, I think." Mrs. Darcy cried.

Will had not been offended, and at this point quite agreed with his mother - which, truly, rarely ever happened.

"Yeah, Lucy told me last night that she sat next to her for fifteen minutes, and not once did she say anything," Charlie added to the gossip, mirth dancing in his eyes to provide fodder to their silly mothers. James interjected, "Actually, Soph mentioned that Elizabeth rarely ever talks to people she doesn't know. With her close friends, she's apparently a total sweetheart."

Will and Charlie coo'd at James, laughing. "Oh, Soph!" Will cried as James blushed crimson.

"I don't think I believe that," said Mrs. Lucas, "if she'd been all that sweet, she'd have talked to poor Lucy. But she must have heard somehow that Lucy went to a community college and was very stuck up about it."

"I do not mind her not talking to Lucy," said Charlie in mock sympathy, "but I wish she'd at least danced with poor Will." Will gave his friend a slight shove.

"Another time, Will," said his mother, "I would not dance with her, if I were you."

"Trust me, guys, I have absolutely no intention of having anything more to do with her than I absolutely need to." Will declared.

"Honestly," Charlie said, "her pride doesn't offend me all that much, because there's a very good excuse for it. It's not hard to see that she's a very attractive girl with family

connections and wealth. Everything, really. If anything, she has a right to be proud."

"Of course you think so," Will snorted, "because I recall you thinking she was the hottest damn girl to ever exist when you were talking. Really, I was surprised you didn't fall at her feet and pray."

Both mothers giggled. Charlie turned to Will in indignation, "I never said anything like that!"

"Doesn't mean you didn't think it," Will shrugged, grinning. "Besides, pride and vanity are very different things."

Liam and Noah walked into the kitchen then, Liam joining the conversation without even looking up from his phone. "If I was Elizabeth Bennet, I'd be vainer and prouder than she is, and never work. I'd just lounge around pools drinking expensive whiskey served to me by hot girls in bikinis."

"That is entirely too disgusting, Liam!" cried Mrs. Lucas, shaking her head at the younger boy who just shrugged in response. "I thought you'd rather date her - wasn't that what you were saying earlier?" Noah said, rummaging through the fridge.

"Since I can't be her, yeah, that's the next best option. I wonder if she'd think of going for someone younger than her. She does seem to have that dominatrix vibe." Both mothers shrieked in disgust, scolding Liam, albeit giggling like schoolgirls.

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Liam," James scolded gently. "Yeah, besides," added Charlie, "that's going to be very illegal."

Will just shook his head, hoping that his younger brothers would someday be less embarrassing. If Elizabeth Bennet heard them right now, she'd be quite right in looking down her noses at them.

Sometime later, Charlie, James and Will were alone again - having purposely ended the conversation with their mothers who they'd had quite enough of. Intellectuals that they were, their discussion was still revolving around the Bingley party. Specifically, Elizabeth.

"Oh, please," said Charlie, "as if I'd ever have a chance with someone like her." It was said matter of factly. But James, ever the hero, was quick the rescue. "Oh, you don't know that, Charlie! Don't sell your self short!"

"Yeah, Charlie," chimed in Will, "if you're going to sell yourself, at least get a good deal - you're six feet tall, for god's sake man!" Charlie laughed, nodding at James in thanks, and stood up. "Alright boys, time to go. I'll see you both Friday at the Lodge?"

"The Lodge" was Lucas Lodge, the largest bed and breakfast in northern California. It also threw town wide parties, just like the Diner did. "Oh, I'll be in LA this Friday - new big wig client, apparently." Will said. "Who is it?" Charlie inquired, leaning on the counter.

Will grinned, "Would you believe me if I said I didn't know?" Charlie raised an eyebrow, looking to James for confirmation. James nodded, "Apparently the CEO is very big on NDAs, so until that's signed - I'll be receiving it today - I'll know nothing about the company, or the deal."

Charlie whistled, "That's very stringent, so it's definitely a fortune 500?"

"I'm assuming so," Will shrugged, "all I know is that if this deal goes well, I'm going to be looking at junior partner."

James started and quickly turned to look at Will, a big smile on his face. "What?" he said, shock mixed with glee. "I didn't know that part! This is amazing!" Charlie quickly congratulated him, patting his shoulder, saying his goodbyes and good lucks.

At Netherfield Park the next morning, when Elizabeth would receive a scanned copy of the NDA the next morning, she'd regret having blindly trusted her Uncle. She'd regret that she hadn't even looked at who it was they were hiring - because she frankly didn't think they could do a better job than her anyway. She'd also regret that she'd gotten the NDA and contracts signed before she'd at least met with him. It was a rookie mistake, but one she didn't think would be a big deal because of how vehement her Uncle Matlock had been about this great "closer".

And why would she regret it? Because this "great lawyer" that her uncle had called "Bill something or other" was, in fact, none other than Will Darcy. And knowing whatever little about him she did, she would have been sure the good-looking but idealistic man was going to make her job a whole lot harder.

A/N: I assume we all know who the client it - question is, will this help Will get to know the real Elizabeth? Or will Lizzie's no-nonsense work persona play into Will's idea of her? Tell me what you think in the reviews!


	4. Chapter 4

When the morning did arrive, and with it the aforementioned realisation, Elizabeth was quick to complain about it to Sophie, and angry at Matlock, even though he couldn't possibly have known that she'd met Will Darcy and disliked him.

"Why are we not working an actual partner?" she'd complained, "Will Darcy is just another associate, and I refuse to have my deal muddled up because his inexperience." Matlock, however, had been adamant. Elizabeth was free to do as she pleased, of course, after all, she was CEO. But she was also aware that her uncle Matlock rarely insisted on things that he didn't have complete faith in. So. it seemed, she was about to be stuck with her current lawyer.

She placed the largest blame of her predicament on herself, of course, but unable to find a release because it was, at the end of the day, her overlooking that caused the problem in the first place, she walked around Netherfield Park in an even more dour mood than before. So fearsome was the expression on her face, that even Matthew, who usually couldn't take a hint, gave her a wide berth.

"Lizzie," Sophie said slowly to her at lunch, "instead of going to LA, why don't you just call Will here? You have total privacy in the study anyway!"

If Sophie had not been the nicest person of Lizzie's acquaintance, she'd have gotten nothing more than a dirty look and a curt reply. Instead, Lizzie sighed, exhausted. "I was considering that, definitely, but if we're going to be working together I'd rather set a professional relationship from the very start."

"There's nothing unprofessional about using the study - you're working on vacation!" she cried, pleading with Lizzie. "Besides, you're not going to come back in a day if you go -" Lizzie made to protest but was waved off dismissively. "I know you Lizzie, something will come up and you'll be too busy to leave again!"

"You were fine with letting me go before we knew it was Will," Lizzie raised her eyebrow, her tone much calmer than Sophie's.

Sophie smiled, shrugging, "I had no choice then - now I do!" She made puppy dog eyes, lips pouting. On anyone else, this look would have made Lizzie snort and look away in disgust. On Sophia Bingley, heart-warming person extraordinaire, it melted Lizzie's heart. Sensing her hesitation, Sophie gave a final push. "And we can tell everyone in the house to stay away! Nobody will even deign to disturb you! And I need you here - I still have so much to figure out!"

Lizzie sighed in exasperation, "Fine, but only because I promised to help set up your house," Sophie clapped in delight, and Lizzie texted her assistant to reschedule the meeting for the next day at Netherfield Park itself.

The two women spent the rest of the day going over basic accounts of the house, as well as looking at new features they wanted installed. Several times that day, Lizzie found herself oddly unsettled. She wasn't nervous, no, she told herself. She was simply not looking forward to being alone with Will Darcy.

Promptly at 11:00 the next morning, Will was shown into Sophia's living room by the house manager and asked to wait. He sat down comfortably, admiring the quality of the material. A few minutes later, Sophia walked into the room, excitedly welcoming Will to her house with a kiss on both cheeks. "Lizzie will be with you in just a few minutes," she said, gesturing Will to sit back down, "She's just finishing up a conference call." Will smiled politely, and made pleasant small talk with Sophie, inwardly pleased by how perfect she was for someone like James.

"Mr. Darcy?" a short woman dressed to the nines in her pantsuit came into the room, her expression blank. "Yes?" Will said, standing up.

"Miss Bennet will see you now." she informed, indicating that he follow her. He gave a quick smile to Sophie, but she just stood up with him, following along with the secretary to what he assumed was the temporary home office.

At the office door, the lady turned, startled to find Sophie walking along with him. "Miss Bingley," she said politely, "Miss Bennet asked only for Mr. Darcy." Will raised an eyebrow - it was Sophie's house, the fact that she was being stopped outside her own study was quite a surprise. Sophie, however, demurred, and quickly apologizing, said goodbye to Will, extracting promises for him to save her a dance later that night.

He stepped into the office alone.

The space was less an office, and more a mini library. There were multiple bookshelves at the front, while the main desk was placed in the middle of a large circular space that faced a window. Brightly lit and minimalist, it was something he'd expected to see in Sophie's home, but seemed out of place for Elizabeth's use.

He wasn't sure why he'd been expecting a dark, colder office, but the space he'd just stepped into was pleasantly warm, and smelled delicious - like cotton candy, he thought. The lady herself was seated at the large white desk, ramrod straight with her eyes trained on her computer, long fingers typing away at punishing speed. Her dark curls, that he'd so admired the first time he'd seen her, were tightly bound away from her face in an elaborate bun; her expression in a fierce scowl.

As he walked further into the office, she waved at the chairs in front of her, and he took it as his cue to sit down. The fact that her attention hadn't left her work irked him, but this kind of dismissal was exactly what he'd expected from her after overhearing her comment at the Diner Dance. Her arrogance clearly transcended into workplace interactions.

Only the clicking of her keyboard keys was the sound that dominated the study for a few minutes. He coughed softly. Finally, she looked up at him, almost as if she'd forgotten he'd been sitting there the whole time. She stood up, forcing him to as well, and extended her perfectly manicured hand for a firm, quick shake.

"Obviously," she said, her voice soft but firm; professional, "we already know each other," he nodded unnecessarily, "but before we get down to business, I have something I'd very quickly like to say."

His mind explored possibilities - he'd already signed her contracts, and he couldn't think of anything else she could want to talk about. Whatever he'd been expecting, the next words out of her mouth, hesitant as they were, caught him on the blindside.

"I'd like to apologize over the comments I made at the diner," she said, her face betraying no expression and her voice strong, "I didn't mean for you to hear them; I just wanted to get Sophia off my back." Will noticed instantly that she hadn't apologized for saying them - only that he'd heard. His ire was raised, but he attempted to keep his cool so that she could continue. "I hope that this won't make our professional relationship uncomfortable -

"No," Will interrupted, having had enough of her arrogant assumptions about his professionality, "I'm sure we can work without bringing events from our personal lives into the mix." Elizabeth seemed almost relieved for a millisecond, but then her face hardened back into a blank mask and he wasn't sure anymore.

They got straight into work after that; going over the acquisition in detail, possibilities for the client, as well as legalities. Their conversation was stilted with awkward pauses as they tried to get a feel of each other in a professional setting.

If Elizabeth was impressed with Will's skill and ideas, it didn't show. Certainly, most of what she said was curt, bordering on rude, and she seemed more eager to have him done and out of her office the longer he sat. She also addressed him as Mr. Darcy several times, which Will thought was hilarious, considering they were - he assumed - going to meet again later that evening where she'd be back to - once again, he assumed - calling him Will.

When he asked her to email him the details, she looked almost shocked, before she coughed lightly and mentioned that her assistant would do that later in evening for him. She didn't extend her business card to him either, he noticed, and understood that if he wanted to get in touch with her, he'd have to go through her assistant. Never having worked with anyone this rich before, he wasn't sure if this was protocol or not. But then he remembered that even Sophie, who'd almost stepped into the office with him, had been turned away at the door.

"So," she said almost an hour after they started their discussion, "I'm going to have Cathy get an appointment with her. You're welcome to try as well, but I'm sure you can agree that going through a law firm isn't really helping B&DB out much."

Whether or not he actually agreed with the statement, he was sure she was going to do it her way. So, instead, he said, "Why hire me if you're doing all my work for me? Don't get me wrong," he clarified, "I love being paid to do nothing, but I happen to think that in this case I might be able to close this deal faster than you could." He leaned back on his chair, hands behind his head. "I am one of LA's top closers, you know," he finished with a smirk.

Elizabeth said nothing, disapproval at his stance clear on her face, and he casually sat back upright as he'd been during the rest of the meeting. "Fine," she ground out in begrudging agreement after a few moments of thinking it over, "if you can figure out a better way to do this sooner than I can," she waved him off before he could interrupt, "I'll keep you in the loop and we'll work this like partners." He smiled in triumph.

When it was time to go, she stood up and shook his hand once more with a firm grip and tight smile, and had her assistant show him out. He left Netherfield Park thinking that Elizabeth Bennet truly was more disdainful and rude than she was hot, which was incredibly hard to believe; because after the first few minutes of their meeting when he'd had a chance to really look at her, he had come quite in awe of her beauty. He was also sure, however, that she still thought he was an incompetent small town boy, and a large part of him was very, very eager to prove her wrong.

A/N: They made it through the first meeting unscathed! Do you think Will be able to impress Elizabeth with his work ethics? Also, thank you so much for all the reviews - I haven't quite figured out how to reply to them (is it just PM?), but I've read them all, and made some pretty significant changes in the previous and future chapters as per your great recommendations! One of the biggest is that the Darcy's wouldn't have two kids named William, and so I've decided to rename Liam the second to Luke. Hope this won't get too confusing! I also hope you'll continue helping out - and leaving reviews!


	5. Chapter 4 Scene II

That evening saw the Darcys being unfashionably late to the Lodge. With five rowdy boys, a constantly shrieking mother and only one car, it was hardly unexpected for the townsfolk. Their late arrival was, however, noticed instantly by those of the Bingley party.

Matthew stared down his nose at Luke and Noah - who bounded over to the drinks table the minute they were through the door - leaning down to whisper into Elizabeth's ear. Elizabeth's expression was a blank mask, though she was frowning - and Will was starting to believe that she had no emotions at all, other than contempt and disdain. Marvin and Louisa Hurst merely gave them a glance and a small nod, and Sophie behaved exactly as had been expected.

She glided forward gracefully, cheerfully kissing their cheeks in greeting; she immediately made James promise to save her the next dance. After the necessary socialising, she went off to find another set of people to talk to. Or, as it was more likely, to charm the pants off.

Will and his mother went in opposite directions - as they usually did in Life; him walking towards Charlie, and his mother towards her group of chatty friends that loudly greeted her. James trailed behind, smiling and greeting everyone they knew.

"So," Charlie said as soon as Will and James were within hearing distance, "how was your meeting with the dragon lady?" Will grimaced. "That bad?"

"She's not a dragon lady," James stated, "she's just dedicated." Both Will and Charlie ignored the comment.

"Well," Will rolled his eyes, "she was very professional about it, but she seemed to cross the line from professional to asshole more often than not."

"Will!" James chided in horror, Charlie laughed, "that's a terrible thing to say!"

Will gave James a look. "She called me Mr. Darcy the whole time." Charlie gave a little laugh, urging Will to continue. "She has taken over Sophie's study - it's her house! And she has an assistant show people into the study! It's an overinflated ego if I've ever seen one. Honestly, she probably thinks that she's the only person to have had trouble acquiring another company before. She won't even let me do my actual job, and literally disparaged lawyers the whole time I sat there."

They were silent for a few moments, processing Will's rant.

"So then why even take her up as a client? Ask the partners to hand it over to someone else," Charlie finally suggested, looking at Elizabeth who was standing in a corner. Often, he noticed, her eyes strayed towards where they were.

"Yeah, but they'll make me junior associate!" Will sighed in resignation. "At this point in my life, that's enough motivation to work with Voldemort. She's just a fire breathing dragon." They both laughed loudly again, attracting the notice of several people, among them, Matthew and Elizabeth.

Will resolutely turned away from Elizabeth, who was staring at him with narrowed eyes. He wasn't sure how much more she could find wrong with him, but clearly she was willing to try.

"And besides," Will concluded, "it's going to be quite fun to prove her assumptions wrong about how good I am at job." Charlie shook his head, smiling, and suggested that they get some drinks.

As they reached the bar, they spotted Noah and Luke walking with two girls on to the dance floor, loudly requesting the DJ to play some "sexier songs". Will cringed in mortification, helplessly shrugging when he made eye contact with James. James was leading Sophie in a dance, but they quickly got off the dance floor when the DJ began complying with the younger Darcy boys' request.

"Someone ought to put them on a leash," Will said, as James came closer, Sophie having set off to talk to other acquaintances. "They're just young - it's not so bad," James murmured, shoving his hands in his pocket. Will turned to him, derision written all over his face, "That's like saying Elizabeth is ugly." Before James could reply, they were joined by Mr. Lucas, who had overheard their short conversation. "Which of course," he said pompously, "we know is as far from the truth as possible," he raised a knowing eyebrow at them. Will rolled his eyes, amused.

"Miss Elizabeth!" he called out, spotting her standing alone quite nearby. She looked away from the dance floor in surprise, both eyebrows raised. "I must have you dancing! - Allow me to present this young man -" he gestured at Will - "as quite the ladies' favorite. You cannot refuse to dance, especially when there is such a handsome chap involved!"

Will started. "Oh," he said casually, "I'm actually not dancing right now - I'd much rather get a snack with James first."

"I'd be happy to dance with you," she said stiffly, eyes staring straight ahead; unmoving.

"Thank you, but excuse me - I'd rather not dance." He made to walk away with James, but he was forced to stand still as Mr. Lucas pushed his case. "Why ever not, m'boy? More than half the night at most dances, you're swinging around anyone in a skirt that says yes to you. I'm sure Elizabeth here would enjoy herself too - despite disliking dancing."

Will almost snorted. "Yes, Elizabeth is all politeness, Mr. Lucas," he said sardonically, "but I think I'll pass." With a smooth nod to the two people standing there quite in shock, he quickly made his way to the food counters, James following along, making sincere apologies to Elizabeth.

As they neared, they slowed down, and James was quick to rebuke Will. "She looks miserable, poor thing." Will rolled his eyes, "She's not miserable, and she's certainly not poor. She's just surprised that not everybody will fall at her feet just because she's all that."

James shook his head, "I'm sure she doesn't want that, she's just shy I think," he turned to look at her again. "Maybe a little socially awkward," he added, shrugging.

Will laughed, "She is not socially awkward! She's an arrogant woman that thinks everyone not wearing at least Rolexes on a daily basis is beneath her. Did you see the looks she was giving the kiddos?"

James sighed, deciding not to argue any longer with his younger, cynical brother. They waited at the food counters in amicable silence for a few minutes, which was broken by their mother loudly talking about how wonderful a daughter-in-law Sophie Bingley would make.

"She wouldn't even have to stay home all day when she has kids," she was exclaiming for all to hear, "all that money, should could just hire an army of nannies! And then she could drink dirty martinis by the pool while the kids were all taken care of! La! What a delightful thought!"

Marcus Darcy, who had been standing close to their mother, quickly hushed her - to her consternation - but it had been quite too late.

Involuntarily, Will found his eyes drawn towards Elizabeth, subconsciously awaiting her reaction to his mother's inappropriate outburst. Matthew and she stood on the sidelines of the room yet again. While Elizabeth's expression was disapproving pursed lips, Matthew was making his judgement known more exuberantly, furiously whispering into Elizabeth's ears as he was wont to do, staring at Mrs. Darcy with contempt.

Will groaned in frustration.

A/N: We know the books - and we know Will is embarrassed. But was that groan of frustration for his family's unstoppably atrocious behavior, or for his subconscious need to be liked by Elizabeth? (Wink, wink). Tell me your thoughts, feelings and critiques - I'm needy and I'm not ashamed of admitting it!


	6. Chapter 5

Elizabeth sat the next morning at breakfast, her thoughts swirling with a certain dark haired man as she slowly ate, her emails lying abandoned on the side. Matthew, Sophie and Louisa had joined her as well, but as none of them were morning people, they didn't talk much; Elizabeth was free to be distracted.

And distracted she was. She couldn't do a single task without at least once having her mind drift. When she'd first met Will Darcy, she hadn't allowed him to be attractive. While his brother, James, had the boy-next-door look - with his blonde hair and blue eyes - down to a tee, Will was more unsuspectingly handsome.

She'd barely noticed him at the diner when they'd first met, and when they were sitting in the study, she'd only looked to criticize. But no sooner had she made it clear to herself that he had not a single remarkable feature, she began to find him uncommonly charming with his wide, honest smiles, and wiley humour.

This, she found highly embarrassing. She was Elizabeth Bennet, for god's sake! She regularly socialized with models and actors - all so good looking, they were getting paid for their beauty.

But though she'd seen quite a few flaws on Will's face when she'd studied him with critical eyes, she was forced to acknowledge that he was a lean, athletic man - full of strength and vigor, his dark hair wild and unruly in the just-had-sex kind of way, and his chocolate brown eyes pools of mirth and intelligence.

It had stung, briefly that he had refused to dance with her - but perhaps he had thought he was doing her a favour. She had made her dislike of dancing plenty clear, and it was nice that he had probably taken her feelings into consideration.

Too shy to talk to him about anything but work, she'd spent most of her evening studying him. He was quick to laugh, carefree and warm. The few comments she's overheard him make had been witty, sometimes snarky, but never hurtful - and always charming. The women he had danced with had all been smiling widely, sometimes laughing so hard they almost went off beat.

So, despite asserting that his family was atrocious, his work ethics still pending judgment and that his manners were hardly polished, leaving much to be desired - she was caught by the light playfulness that always surrounded him.

Her reverie was broken by her phone ringing, startling the entire table. She frowned when she saw it was her assistant - she wasn't sure what could be required this early in the morning. She excused herself, swiping to answer.

"Yes, Cathy?" She walked up to a large window in the living room, looking out at the lush garden.

"It's Mr. Darcy on the line for you," Cathy informed, her voice awake and professional despite the high probability that she'd been woken up because of the call. Elizabeth frowned. "Ms. Bennet?" Cathy asked when Elizabeth's silence lasted a few moments, "should I ask that he call back at a later hour?"

Elizabeth snapped out of her reverie - whatever it was, it was probably important. Will Darcy hardly seemed the type to want to waste her time. "No, no, let him through." Cathy switched out the line, and Will's slightly husky voice came on, "Hey."

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Mr. Darcy?"

"I actually had an idea for how you can get a meeting with Mrs. Rothemburg," "Oh?" the sound escaped her before she could stop herself - she was curious, she told herself, not impressed by his dedication to work - calling her probably as soon as the idea had seemed plausible to him.

"Yes," continued Will, unfazed by her interruption, "you have to run into her - she's hardly going to say no when she's face to face with the CEO of B&DB."

Elizabeth ran the idea through - and concluded it wasn't a bad one. Will took her silence for confusion, and ploughed on, pitching her the idea in its entirety.

"You could," he said, "run into her somewhere she can't make a quick exit - that sounds nefarious," he rushed to explain, "but I mean somewhere like a movie, or flight. Don't push her for anything - just tell her to give you an appointment so we can go talk to her."

Elizabeth smiled. She hated to be proven wrong, but it seemed like Will wasn't such a goody-two-shoes after all. "William Darcy," she said coyly, "what you are suggesting is highly improper and quite possibly illegal. I didn't expect this from you."

She could almost hear Will grinning on the other end, clearly having understood that Elizabeth was willing to give his idea a try. "Yes, well," he said wryly, "us backwoods lawyers have to have some tricks up our sleeves so that CEOs such as yourselves don't steal our jobs."

Elizabeth bit back a laugh, "It isn't a terrible idea," she acknowledged, "let me have Cathy do some legwork for it." "When it works, it's going to be a great idea."

"We don't know if it will work," Elizabeth resisted the urge to acknowledge the truth in his statement, "but yes," she gave up her internal battle, "if it does, yours will have been a great idea. And I will be impressed."

Will laughed, "That's right you will. When you're only tolerable in looks, you have to use your brain to impress the ladies."

Elizabeth blushed in mortification, but chose not to acknowledge his comment, quickly using arrangements as an excuse to hang up the phone. When they did, neither was sure how their conversation had turned into almost flirty banter. Will decided to brush it off - it was likely that Elizabeth was in an unusual good mood. But for Elizabeth, it was simply distraction - she hadn't felt so light in a long time. Even if he was the most unsuitable man of her acquaintance, a little banter never hurt anybody.

When she walked back to the dining room, feeling some semblance of hunger forming, she was unaware that she had a slight smile on her a face. Matthew and Sophia, however, were quick to catch it.

"Who was it?" Sophia asked, taking a bite of her food, eyes wide. "Will," she said, sitting down at her place. Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Well?" Sophie pushed when Elizabeth volunteered no information. She sighed.

"He was just calling to let me know about an idea he had for the acquisition," she muttered, cutting a piece of her pancake daintily. "And he decided to call you this early?" Matthew sneered, "I can only imagine what's going on in your head right now."

Elizabeth put her cutlery down, turning towards Matthew, "Indeed?"

"It's obvious, really. You're being forced to work with a lawyer that didn't go to an Ivy league; the icing on the cake, I'm sure," Matthew steamrolled on, "is that you have to see him and his abominably behaved family practically every alternate day."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, while Sophia looked away in embarrassment. "On the contrary," Elizabeth said, finishing up the last of her tea, "I was thinking how well a charming attitude complements a man that focuses first on his work." Sophia's eyes grew wide in disbelief at the compliment, and Matthew sputtered. It was fortunate he'd had nothing in his mouth, because it would have fallen out quite spectacularly.

"So when are we to see you two canoodling in corners?" Matthew asked, his voice betraying his revulsion. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I quite expected your mind to jump from appreciation of his work ethics to dating," she retorted. "Oh, no," Matthew insisted, "if you're going to be charmed by Will Darcy, may I congratulate you also on acquiring some terrible family members? His mother, in particular, will be glad to talk very loudly to all her neighbours about how her son snagged the richest woman to ever grace their little town."

Elizabeth's face involuntarily scrunched up in distaste, and Matthew leaned back on his chair, satisfied. Sophie, unwilling to hear anything bad about anyone, was quick to change the subject, talking about a picnic brunch she was hoping to have on the nearby golf course. "Just to start some socializing on a more personal level," she reasoned.

"I don't know why you want to bother, Soph," Matthew protested, eager to remind Elizabeth of all the negative things about their current society, "the people here have no sense of taste, fashion or culture. They probably think Almas caviar is the same as regular caviar. Frankly, if we left today and didn't ever come back, I'd be quite alright with it."

"You know, I could quite go for some Almas caviar right now," Marvin stated, breaking the tension that was beginning to form between his two siblings. Sophie shook her head, throwing a small smile his way, "Lizzie, will you come help me figure things out for the picnic?" She stood up, making it clear to Elizabeth that the question had been quite rhetorical.

"Sure," she replied, standing up as well and looping an arm through Sophie's, "and perhaps the dish of the day will be Almas caviar?" She said wryly, making Sophie and Marvin laugh. Matthew rolled his eyes, and looked away, peeved.

By the time Saturday had ended, both Sophia and Elizabeth felt like they'd accomplished quite a lot. Sophia had successfully planned a last minute, incredibly elaborate brunch picnic that would include classy finger foods, and flowing champagne. Guests had been invited - although she was forced to limit herself to just a few of the families due to the short planning duration - and the staff had been informed to begin preparation.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, had successfully managed to pull of Will's suggestion. Cathy had researched Mrs. Rothemburg's schedule - quite efficiently, she was proud to acknowledge - and discovered that she'd be taking a commercial flight - first class, of course - on the 28th of December from New York City to Boston. She'd booked a ticket on the same flight for Elizabeth as well. All Elizabeth had to do was convince her to give them an appointment. Considering that Elizabeth negotiated for a living, she was more than confident of her success, at least at their current stage.

A/N: So sneaky, sneaky! But yay, W and E had a conversation that didn't involve both being annoyed! I'm a vegetarian, by the way, but I hear that Almas Caviar is quite popular among the more wealthy. Tell me your thoughts, feels and critiques in the reviews - I'd love to know if you guys are happy with the way the story is progressing so far. Also, shout out to a great reviewer who mentioned how I'd failed to describe what Will looks like - I hope this chapter met those expectations!


	7. Chapter 6

Sunday dawned bright and early, and the staff at Netherfield Park was rushing to put together the most last minute brunch soiree they could ever imagine putting together. With the golf course only a short walk away, they were preparing picnic baskets and brunch accessories to be delivered there directly.

At Longbourn, the four Darcy males were running around the house looking for missing items of their clothing. Only James sat ready in the kitchen, calmly eating his cereal.

When the invitation for brunch had only been extended to the older two, Marcus decided to go to the library, and Luke and Noah landed with lunch dates.

"Matthew texted me," James told Will who walked up to the counter fifteen minutes later, finally dressed.

"What did he want?" Will asked, skeptically, turning on the coffee machine.

"He wanted to remind us to carry our own golfing gear because otherwise we'll be stuck using the rented ones."

"Quite the douchebag assumption," Will snorted, leaning against the counter as he waited for his beans to brew, "and perfectly in line with what we know about him. I'm sure he knows we don't have our own set."

"Oh, no, I think he's just being polite," James murmured, "so we're not forced to use clubs we don't like."

Will shrugged. "Well, I'm not playing, so you can go right ahead with the rented clubs."

"Why not?" Even in surprise, James sounded serene.

"Because, you've seen me golf - and you know it's not something I enjoy."

"Oh please, as if you would refrain from a social activity because you don't enjoy it as much," Marcus stated, walking into the kitchen and settling himself down at the island counter.

"I wouldn't - but my favorite thing to do at a picnic is read - not wait around to play once in 10 minutes, and so that is what I shall do. "

"Well, take a book with you and decide when you get there," Marcus said. "Yeah, I'm not sure Soph will allow you to sit by yourself reading," James observed. Will shrugged, already thinking of his preferred book of choice for the day.

When they arrived at Netherfield Park an hour or so later, they were greeted by the butler that directed them to the garden that led to the golf course.

The lush green space was laid out a lot like a child's birthday party. One side of the garden had a row of white tables laden with trays of finger foods, pancakes, and other brunch delicacies. Silver balloons were strung from one side of each table. What made it clearly an adult party, was the table full of champagne bottles right next to a man standing with a table of fresh fruits and a juicer. Bellinis and Mimosas would be flowing that morning.

The other thing that made it stand out from a child's birthday party was that each of the items served were fit for royalty. Almas caviar, Kobe beef mini burgers, the most decadent looking avocado toasts.

Sophie stood near the front entrance of the garden, greeting her guests as they walked in. As it often was, the Darcy's were the last family to arrive. Sophie's smile widened as she saw them walking towards her.

"Hello!" She chimed, leaning in to give James a kiss on the cheek. "Welcome, welcome!" She also greeted Will with a warm, maternal hug. "I'm so sorry this brunch was last minute," she said, but was cut off by James, "Oh, no problem, we're very happy to be here." The two looked at each other, small, private smiles on their face. The kind that came with having a certain understanding.

Conspicuously missing from the garden were Elizabeth and Matthew, although Will immediately spotted Charlie in the small group of people. As the pleasantries at the entrance concluded, the group decided to get a few rounds of golfing in before beginning the meal. Caddies were called, and preparations were made for the order of playing. "Oh," Will said when Sophie asked which set of clubs he'd like, "I don't really golf, but I'm happy to sit here in the sun and get some reading done!"

Sophie frowned. "No, come on Will," she pleaded, "at least walk with us! We can talk and get to know more about each other!"

Will merited how warm the sun was and what a glorious day it would be to relax in the grass, but Sophie remained surprisingly adamant, especially once James joined in. Between the sweet, polite way they pushed him, and the snarky commentary by Charlie, they convinced Will to walk with them as they played after all.

"I'm just going to get a drink and join you," Will said, as they started walking towards the first hole. "Go on, I'll catch up in just a bit." He began walking towards the house. Just as he was about to walk up the driveway, he spotted Elizabeth and Marcus stepping out of the french windows towards him. They were about to join the others, Will could see from their trajectory, but they hadn't spotted him yet.

He wasn't sure why, but he felt compelled to slip behind a tree. He stood there silently. He could hear soft murmurs of Matthew's deep voice as they came towards him, although it seemed that Elizabeth was silent, as always.

"- and I like James, I really do. But with those vulgar younger brothers, and that scheming, gold digging mother, I'm afraid that being friendly with them will only harm our spotless reps. I mean, can you imagine being papped with any of them? I'd die of embarrassment."

Will's hands clenched in irritation, and he waited with baited breath to see what Elizabeth would say. He wasn't sure if he'd feel better or worse if she agreed with Mathew, especially after their friendly conversation the day before. One one hand, he'd be proven right - and the mood yesterday was temporary. On the other, he wanted that woman to be the real Elizabeth Bennet.

When Elizabeth said nothing, both men felt disappointed. One let his judgement of her finally be set in stone, and the other trudged on, hoping that something he said would get the response he wanted.

"And I feel so awful for you, having to work with William as your closer! I'm sure you could still push for a higher up to work with you, you know. You're Elizabeth Bennet - they won't deny you the moon!"

Before he could hear Elizabeth's reply - because she finally did deign to do so - they were almost of hearing range, and Will, not caring to hear the rest of it, got out from behind the tree and continued on his way to get his drink.

"Actually," Elizabeth said finally, looking straight ahead, "I'm quite looking forward to working with Will. He's savvy, and in the one day I've employed him, he's come up with a better idea than the other so-called-top-lawyer had in six months."

Matthew blanched, but wisely said nothing. They finished their walk in silence, and Elizabeth was relieved to finally be rid of Matthew when they got to the attendees. She was surprised and a little disappointed that Will was not present - she was keen to see him after their conversation yesterday, although she'd never admit it out loud.

She asked Sophie quietly if they were expecting anybody else, and was informed, quite enthusiastically, about how Will had been convinced to hang out with them. They began setting up for the swings, their caddies lining up and readying for the requests from the golfers. Will joined them a few minutes later, drink in his hand. He walked directly up to his brother and Charlie, not sparing either of the two offenders a glance.

He chatted amicably with them for several minutes, purposely not looking at nor acknowledging Elizabeth. He was, therefore, surprised, when two rounds later, at the third hole, she caught up with him and tapped him on his shoulder.

"Shall we take a walk?" she asked, her body turned in his direction though her eyes looked past him. He looked away from the course in surprise, and had answered with a "sure" before his brain had even registered the question. "Good," Elizabeth said, still not looking at him, "let me just put this down," and motioning to her champagne glass, walked over to one of the waiters that had been standing by with an empty tray.

Will turned to Charlie with wide eyes, "Did I just agree to take a WALK with her?" Charlie grinned, "I'm sure you'll find her charming." Will rolled his eyes, the beginnings of a smirk on his face, "Then that's going to be incredibly inconvenient because I've decided to dislike her for the rest of eternity."

"How dramatic," Charlie said dryly, "I'm sure Luke and Noah are great inspirations."

Will laughed, and shoving Charlie slightly, went up to Elizabeth, who turned their walking route away from the course that was being followed by the golfers. The minute they were out of earshot, Elizabeth spoke.

"I wanted to update you on the acq," she said, and gave him a small smile. If he hadn't overheard her talking with Matthew, he'd have been inclined to agree with James that perhaps she was just shy - and after their conversation, was perhaps willing to give their rocky acquaintance a shot. Now, however, he knew better. So he said nothing, and she was forced to continue talking at him.

"That sounds fine," he told her when she'd explained her whole plan, "but how will you travel by first class? Oh, dear, do you even know what that looks like?"

Elizabeth gave him an exasperated eye roll but remained quiet. The next few minutes, they were silent, slowly strolling along. Will was determined not to speak to her much, and resolved not to break the quiet. But, he almost suddenly realized how much more of a punishment it would be for her to talk to someone she clearly thought was beneath her, and so he made a comment about how lush the golf course was looking. She replied, and was silent again. After a few more moments, he said, with a sly smile on his face, "It's your turn to say something now, Elizabeth."

She gave that small smile again, almost condescending, "Do you make it a rule to always talk while walking?" "No, no, I prefer to be quiet and unsociable," Will raised an eyebrow, "so much more enjoyable, don't you think?"

Her smile dimmed, "Well, what will you have me say?"

"We could talk about the weather, or about golfing." "We could," she was looking at him directly now, the sunglasses covering her eyes as she squinted up.

"But I'd rather talk about something that helps me figure you out."

If she was surprised, it didn't show. "Are you a studier of characters then?"

"Yes, I enjoy knowing what motivates people."

"I see," she arched an eyebrow, her expression annoyingly smug, "and you haven't been able to figure out mine? I'm quite surprised I've been told by people that I'm awfully predictable."

Will smirked, "Probably because you deign to talk more in their company than in ours."

Elizabeth frowned, smugness quite wiped off, much to Will's delight. "I'm talking now, aren't I?"

Will hummed in reluctant agreement. There was a short pause, where they both turned towards the other end of the green, where the others stood. Matthew and Charlie were both half turned toward the walkers; Charlie waved as he caught their eyes.

"How is it," Will began, his voice strained, "that you - whose best friend defends as the paragon of virtue and goodness - and that others say is one of the sharpest minds of her field - did not realise that the reason the Queen of _ isn't giving us an appointment for Calida is because she knows that what you're going to be offer her for it is below her dignity. It will not only humiliate her because it would tell the world the monarchy is not rich enough to keep it - but also open up the country to the world for the taking since Calida is being given to an outsider."

Elizabeth's tone remained unemotionally steady although since Will was turned away from her, he missed the slight upturn of her mouth. "She has to sell something because fact of the matter is," she looked up at him, "that their reserves are crumbling. I'm giving her a much better deal than she will get from other buyers - who are non existent by the way, because I see the value of the property and I'm willing to invest it. Below dignity or not, she's going to have to pay up for years of negligence on the monarchy's part."

Will's mouth turned down. "She can hardly be held responsible for something her ancestors have done."

"Can't she? Isn't that exactly the monarchy's job? To help out the people?" she shrugged slightly, "taking this deal will do exactly that."

Will glared into the distance, not yet ready to give up. "I've seen what you're offering her. It's hardly anything."

"It's more than the property is worth. That I can assure you."

"Is it?" he scoffed, "It's a private island with a castle atop hills. It seems like it's worth a lot."

Her answer was quick to come - clearly, she'd had to defend her reasoning before. "The castle is in terrible shape, the interiors are atrociously tacky, transportation is below average, and the island itself has a lot of manicuring to be done for it to be tourist worthy."

He folded his arms, finally turning to look directly at her. He almost forgot what he was about to say, so passionate was her expression. But he recovered quickly. "So essentially you're shorting them because the island isn't currently to your exacting, expensive tastes."

"Call it what you will," she gave him that annoying small smile again. It was so condescending, it made his blood boil. "But I'm also not running charity. This is a business, and I have to do the best I can to make my investors as much money as possible."

They're interrupted by Charlie insisting Will take a swing for his turn.

"You're a strange kind of friend," Will said, smiling easily, "always wanting me to play all sorts of games, and do all sorts of things I'm no good at. If I was exceptionally athletically inclined," he nodded acceptingly at another member of the party - Charlie's younger brother, who truly was, "you would have been an invaluable friend, ol' chap. But I'd rather not play with those who likely play with professionals."

On Charlie, and then Sophie's, perseverance, however, he added, "Very well," and gallantly taking the club from the nearest caddie, turning gravely to Elizabeth, "There is an old saying, which everyone here, of course, is quite familiar with: 'Keep your breath to cool your porridge'; and I shall keep mine to get this hole in one." He bowed comically, and went up to the tee.

His game was decent enough, though by no means exceptional. He didn't get his hole in one, but before he could be entreated to play again, the party was interrupted rudely by the two youngest Darcy's who had left their dates behind in favor of crashing the brunch.

They loudly and obnoxiously greeted everyone, and Sophie, the gentle soul, welcomed them as if they'd been invited the whole time. Elizabeth had watched the embarrassing commotion with indignation at such a repulsive social etiquette, and Matthew had been both exhilarated at this reminder for Elizabeth of the Darcy's unworthiness, and disgusted at the wanton way they two younger boys had taken over the party.

The boys both stayed the rest of the day, much to Will and James' utter mortification. When he went home later that afternoon, Will couldn't help but at least somewhat agree - his brothers truly were out of control. Not that it gave Elizabeth and Matthew any right to say it out loud.

A/N: Apologies for the delay in posting y'all! I'm changing my job profile at work, and it's totally crazy! But, to make up for it, I'm hoping this longer than usual chapter will do! But I'm quite excited for the next couple of chapters - I think you're going to be (hopefully) pleasantly surprised by whom we meet.

In the meantime, what do you think of poor Elizabeth? Why must Will think the worst of her?!

Tell me your thoughts, feelings and critiques!


	8. Chapter 7

The next few days, leading up to Christmas and beyond, were more of the same and then some. James and Sophie were growing closer than ever, even exchanging meaningful, personalized gifts for Christmas - which made Will snort in amusement; Matthew seemed to suddenly want to get to know James, and often on reluctant invitations and Sophie's insistence, Will; meanwhile Elizabeth had been gone since the day of the brunch, and even Sophie had only heard from her once since then.

Without Elizabeth around, Matthew's need to make himself seem superior was much dimmed, although he tried his hardest to antagonize Will any chance he got. They met at Netherfield often, sometimes playing billiards and smoking cigars, other times simply having some beers with Sophie. James, bless his heart, enjoyed the Bingley's company even more each day. Will tried for the sake of his brother and his future happiness, because it was clear that the two lovebirds were doing just that - falling in love.

As that love blossomed, the residents of Meryton also saw excitement with the entrance of two new people in their lives, just three days before Christmas.

The first, and much less complicated to explain, was a stage manager for a theater group that was residing in Meryton for the first quarter of the year, rehearsing on the small town stage before their first show in LA. He was a handsome young man - charming, friendly, quick to laugh with a penchant for Belgian beers.

These qualities, on display from the time he set foot in the town, made George Wickham a desirable man to see around town.

Girls, women and matrons flirted, giggled and batted lashes; the young men of town took him under their social wing, inviting him out to the bar, to dinner and the like. That he'd only been in town - and their lives - for less than a mere week was quite forgotten.

The Darcy's had been introduced to the man the very next day after his arrival. Luke and Noah had a friend that owned the little theatre in their town, and had been introduced early on. They were in awe of him - quite expectedly so - because of his "way with the ladies" as they had excitedly announced to the household.

Will, Charlie and James had liked George just fine. He was a jolly, polite fellow - easily getting along with the soft spoken James, but had a quick wit laced with surplus charm that made him the just the kind of man Will and Charlie would enjoy hanging out with.

The four had been seen around town twice already in the last week, drinking beers one night at the diner, roaring in laughter - catching the envious, and sometimes lustful eye of everybody around them, and working out at the local gym the other. George, who was a former personal trainer, had given tips and tricks of the trade to the others - interspersed with hilarious stories about clients, much to their enjoyment.

The other arrival in town came with a much more complicated back story.

Mr. Darcy had received an email two weeks ago - one he had quite failed to mention to his family until the day of - with a self introduction from a young woman who claimed to be acquainted with him.

The lady was brought up when Mr. Darcy's phone had chimed over breakfast signifying the arrival of an email, the day she was set to arrive.

"I hope, my dear," said Mr. Darcy to his wife, over the din of his noisy family as they sat around the table that was laden with enough food to feed an small army, "that you have planned a good dinner for tonight, because I have reason to expect an addition to our family party."

The table went entirely silent - all eyes on the news bearer; only Mrs. Darcy gave a squeak of surprise. "Who do you mean, darling? I know of nobody that is coming, I am sure, unless Charlie Lucas should happen to drop by —and I hope MY dinners are good enough for that boy. I do not believe he often sees such at home."

"Mom!" Will and James said simultaneously, admonishing. She waved them off, and Mr. Darcy continued, a smug smile on his face.

"The person of whom I speak is a woman, and a stranger.' Mrs. Darcy's eyes sparkled. 'A woman and a stranger! It's Sophie Bingley, isn't it?"

Will rolled his eyes, grinning at his mother's eager silliness. "Mom," James said kindly, "we already know Sophie."

"Yeah, your son is dating her," Noah added, "I don't see how she counts."

"Well, she doesn't come around here often does she? You're all always at Netherfield" Mrs. Darcy hedged, "she still counts as a stranger! Oh!" she went on her tangent, smiling widely, "I shall be so very glad to see her. I must get some fish - perhaps salmon?"

Her husband interrupted her with the ease of a practiced man. "It is NOT Sophie Bingley,' said he, 'as the boys said, it is a person whom I've never met before - frankly, before her email I'd quite forgotten about her altogether.' This roused a general astonishment; and he had the pleasure of being eagerly questioned by his wife for all the details about said woman, peppered with a few general ones by his sons.

After amusing himself for some time with their curiosity, he thus explained:

'About a month ago I received an email; and just last week I gave it a reply - seeing that the matter was delicate and quite required my urgent attention," At this undeserved, self-congratulatory admission, Will smirked at Luke, who'd caught his eye and had to stifle a laugh. "It is from the daughter of my former partner - you all have probably heard of him, of course - Barty Collins."

"Barty Collins!" Mrs. Darcy sneered, "Don't you dare mention that horrible man to me! They already have everything, what does she want from us now?" The three younger sons looked confused, but Mr. Darcy just smirked lazily at the family, unwilling to give up more information. James and Will attempted to explain the situation to their younger brothers - and, indirectly their mother, who had refused to understand the realities of the situation for many years now.

"Barty Collins," James said, "was Dad's high school friend. When Dad's business was in trouble, he gave us a small loan in exchange for some equity." Noah frowned, and Will quickly added, "That means he was now partner - but not an equal partner, just of a small percentage."

"But the company was doing terribly," James continued sadly, "and we were always losing money. Barty was invested in the company already - so he kept loaning the company money in exchange for equity - until he became majority holder."

"He owns about 82% of Dad's company - including this house," Will said, shrugging, "and can actually have us empty out the house as soon as Dad dies, as per the contracts." Luke's eyes went wide, and he stared at his father. His father, as was his want, gave a dismissive wave.

"Stop it, Will!" cried their mother, "why must you be so uncaring about my feelings. You know I can't bear to hear that mentioned, and yet you must always bring it up." Before Will could defend himself, she continued her lament, sighing loudly. "I think it's the hardest thing in the world, that your home should be taken away from your own children; and I am sure," she gave Mr. Darcy a stern look, " if I had been you, I should have tried long ago to do something or other about it.'

James and Will tried to explain to her how equity worked, how it was hardly Barty Collins' fault - and that they both had jobs that could support the entire family, should the worst come to pass. They had often attempted to do it before, but it was a subject on which Mrs. Darcy was beyond the reach of reason, and she continued to rail bitterly against the cruelty of having your partner take over your business, and make you a mere employee with no dignity or security.

'It certainly is a most iniquitous affair,' said Mr. Darcy, 'and nothing can clear his daughter, Maya Collins from the guilt of inheriting majority shares of Longbourn Inc. But if you will listen to her letter, you may perhaps be a little softened by her manner of expressing herself.'

'No, that I am sure I shall not; and I think it shows such utter disrespect for her to write to you at all, and very hypocritical. I hate such false friends. Why could she not keep on quarreling with you, as her father did before her for so many years?'

'Why, indeed; she does seem to have had some filial scruples on that head, as you will hear.' Mrs. Darcy huffed, and her husband understood his cue to continue with the email. He pulled out his phone, and setting his glasses upon his nose, began reading out loud.

'Hello Mr. Darcy, I hope this email finds you hale and hearty. I will get right to the point, so that you do not feel like I am walking around bushes.

The disagreement subsisting between yourself and my late honoured father always gave me much uneasiness, and since I have had the misfortune to lose him five years ago, I have frequently wished to heal the breach between our families; but for some time I was kept back by my own doubts, fearing it might seem disrespectful to his memory for me to be on good terms with anyone with whom it had always pleased him to be at variance.

"There you go, Anne."

My mind, however, is now made up on the subject, for having recently received the accountant's position at Defcortel International, I have been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the CEO of the company, Mrs. Catherine de Bourgh, whose preference and beneficence has landed me at this honored position of accountant, where I shall endeavor everyday to win the approval and unflinching trust of my superiors.

I hope the circumstance of my being majority shareholder of Longbourn Inc will be kindly overlooked on your side, and not lead you to reject the offered olive-branch. I only hope to meet your family, and assure your sons of my readiness to make every possible amends towards them.

If you should have no objection to receive me into your house, I propose that I arrive in Meryton by four o'clock on the 23rd of December, and if convenient for you, will probably trespass on your hospitality till the 14th of January, which I can do without any inconvenience, as Mrs. Catherine is far from objecting to my absence while I do this important task, provided that some other accountant is engaged to do the duty of the day.—I remain, with respectful compliments to your wife and sons, your well-wisher and friend, Maya Collins.'

A/N: George Wickham wasn't gender-swapped? Whaaaat! Yes, that's right - I thought George deserves to be his charming, immoral self. It does significantly change a few things - but that's what I hope you will be most excited about! So tell me - what's a scene with George you definitely want to see unfold in this AU?

Maya Collins, of course, did get the swap! What did you think of the altered backstory? We'll be hearing more details about this partnership that the Misters Collins and Darcy had in the future chapters.

Do leave reviews, y'all! There's nothing like the rush from seeing those notifications, and I hope you will all be my enablers!


	9. Chapter 8

Quick A/N: I try to avoid author notes before chapters, but I wanted to clarify something a reviewer mentioned real quick: James is about to turn 30 very soon, and Will is 28 - neither still lives in Meryton. I actually mentioned this in passing in the second chapter but it wasn't very focused on - but they're home for the holidays! They saved up their off days and decided to do a nice Christmas vaca with their fam!

So, Previously:

'I propose that I arrive in Meryton by four o'clock on the 23rd of December, and if convenient for you, will probably trespass on your hospitality till the 14th of January, which I can do without any inconvenience, as Mrs. Catherine is far from objecting to my absence while I do this important task, provided that some other accountant is engaged to do the duty of the day.—I remain, with respectful compliments to your wife and sons, your well-wisher and friend, Maya Collins.'

And now:

"So, lads and lady, at four o'clock today, we may expect this peace-making lady," said Mr. Darcy - a smirk still on his face - as he folded his glasses and put away his phone. "She seems polite - and dare I say it - friendly enough, and no doubt will prove to be a valuable acquaintance, especially if she favored enough by Mrs. de Bourgh to come here for two weeks."

"She seems ready enough to flatter the boys, and if she is intent on making any amends with them, I'm hardly going to be the person to discourage her," said Mrs. Darcy, eyes sparkling with the ideas on the kinds of amends Maya Collins might be intending to make. She was, after all, single and going to be future major shareholder of the company that was her sons' birthright.

"I'm not sure," said James, "how on earth she intends to get atonement for the troubles she thinks we have been caused, but that she wishes to is certainly to her credit."

"Bit too into Mrs. de Bourgh, isn't she?" said Will, struck by Maya's extraordinary deference for her boss, and her ambitious intention of doing exactly what her job required her to. "I bet she's going to be very," he grinned at his father knowingly, "weird."

"Actually, I don't understand her," he continued, "there's something very -" he paused, searching for the right word - "pompous about her. I mean, why would she apologize for being major shareholder - she can hardly help it unless she intends to give it up completely which is obviously unlikely."

"But," interrupted Luke, "if she does intend to make amends, maybe she does want to give it back to us!"

Marcus rolled his eyes, "We can't afford to buy her out." "Oh."

"So," said Will casually, "we expect her to not be the brightest tool in the box, yes?"

His father nodded, "I have hopes of her being exactly the reverse," Will laughed, "She seems very self-important in her email, with some peppered servility and that is a unique combination. I'm quite impatient to see her, frankly."

'In terms of her actual email,' said Marcus, "her language doesn't seem too off. The idea of the olive-branch of course, is not exactly the newest or most original, but she expressed her interest for it well enough." His statement was promptly, rudely ignored by all - who'd gone back to conversing amongst themselves.

To Noah and Luke, neither the email nor its writer were in any degree interesting. It was next to impossible that this lady should come with the face and body of a professional actress, and it had now several days since they had received pleasure from the society of a woman who was anything else, thanks to the theatre troupe that was residing there.

As for their mother, Maya Collins's letter had done away much of her ill-will, and she was preparing to see her with a degree of composure which astonished her husband and sons.

Maya Collins was a punctual woman, and arrived promptly at their door with a large, bright pink suitcase left standing at the end of their driveway. She was dressed from top to toe in varying shades of red, which, combined with her suitcase was quite the eyeful.

She was politely greeted by the whole family, and while none of the Darcy men were keen on talking, Maya Collins seemed to neither need encouragement, nor seemed inclined to be silent herself.

She was a short, plump woman with a slightly crooked nose, of close to twenty six years in age, with an air of seriousness and gravity. Her manners were very formal, but her voice, much to the utter dismay and discomfort of the hosts, was louder than polite, and unfortunately for her, incredibly shrill. It reminded Will of Janice from the TV show F.R.I.E.N.D.S, and he pitied her already.

Maya was also quite eager to please - or, as Will described her later to Charlie, "a suck up with her head up the bum of the most important person in the room". She hadn't even been properly seated for a minute before she began complimenting Mrs. Darcy on her beautiful home, and her handsome, well-mannered, successful sons.

"You're very sweet, Maya, to come all this way to meet us," Mrs. Darcy cooed, "I wish with all my heart that they will prove to be so, for else they will be quite without nothing. Things are settled so oddly, so away from us."

"You allude to the equity, of course." "Ah! I do indeed, dear girl, I do indeed. It is so utterly heartbreaking an affair for my poor boys, you must confess. Not that," she hurried to clarify, "I mean to place the blame on your shoulders. When the time is bad, nothing can save a business - it's all upon chance. There is no way of knowing whether all your work will pay off."

Maya nodded gravely, "I am quite aware of the hardships my position has placed on your sons, and can say so much about the subject, but it's simply that I do not want to preach or rub it in. I can simply assure them that I come prepared to satisfy them." At her choice of words, Noah and Luke gave snuffled laughter, and Will almost snorted out loud, quickly turning into a cough. "Perhaps, when we are better acquainted -" She was interrupted by a summons to dinner, and the Darcy men grinned slyly at each other.

Dinner was an odd affair that night. Maya was full of praise about the house, their food, their taste - and even more so, about the company, and the way things were running there. Her positive comments on the first three gave Mrs. Darcy immense happiness, but the last subject prevented Maya from touching her heart.

Mrs. Darcy viewed Maya's comments as the supposition that she was talking about what was going to be her company, her property a few years from now. Maya didn't realise, of course, and went on to admire how three of her sons were already in college - so rare for such a thing to occur when the family lived on meagre funds.

But she was set right there by Mrs. Darcy, who assured her with some asperity that they even though they were not going to get to prove it by ever running the company, her sons were incredibly able and self sufficient enough to get scholarships and loans for themselves.

Poor Maya, suddenly aware of how offensive her statement could have been, immediately, profusely apologised to Mrs. Darcy. She was politely waved off, but continued to do so until Will took the reins and changed the subject at hand - asking Marcus to play the piano for them after dinner. Maya's attention was taken away from the topic, and she began to extol the great musician that Mrs. de Bourgh's daughter, Anne, would have been had her health allowed her to learn, and how Mrs. de Bourgh, in fact, had magnificent taste, often teaching her employees and acquaintances the difference between good and bad music.

The family members had been somewhat entertained (those being Will and Mr. Darcy who both took great enjoyment in the oddities of others), somewhat disgusted (both Luke and Noah, who made it their mission to directly ignore anything she said), and somewhat placated (Mrs. Darcy, who could see that this - ahem - single, going-to-be-rich woman would prove beneficial for one of her sons).

It wasn't that Maya was a terrible woman, because she really wasn't - it was that she was not sensible - and this deficiency had not been improved by her education, nor by the society she kept. Most of her life, she had lived with a sharp but miserly father who wished desperately for a son and got but an average daughter instead; and though she had gone to college, she had merely gone for the stamp of having a "degree" - not truly learning, and not forming any new acquaintances of any value.

Her father's displeasure - and frankly, neglect - had made her a hard worker - always wanting to prove herself. It had kept her humble. But that had quickly gone away when she realized that as the only child - everything was to be hers after her father's sudden death anyway. This feeling of consequence and unexpected prosperity had quickly added to the feelings of self conceit - and self importance.

Her subservience to what she considered her superiors gave her a fortunate chance to interview with Mrs. de Bourgh - who was quick to offer her a job as accountant - pleased to have someone who was more than happy to hang on to every word she said.

Having sorted out her basic requirements - like a job and a good house, she intended to find a life partner. A husband, and a white picket fence would complete her vision. At twenty six, she considered herself rather in her prime - and by reconciling with the Darcy family, she intended to chose one of the older sons. Having looked at their pictures - she knew they were handsome - certainly the oldest, James - was quite possibly the most handsome man she'd ever seen.

This was true plan of making amends - of atonement - for inheriting what she was sure was considered by the Darcy boys their true right; and she thought it was a rather excellent one - full of suitability, and excessively generous on her own part..

James, who would be more than pleased to get control over the company again - keeping it in the family - would be thoroughly grateful to her. That fact and her total suitability for him - especially as she was in the same social sphere as him - would make them quite the perfect couple.

Her plan did not change when she saw them. James was as handsome as his pictures - and as the oldest, was obviously first in line for the company anyway. His job as an HR Executive could easily be given up - after all, who would want to be employee when they could be an owner, living in a spacious Hunsford apartment in the San Francisco Bay Area. What he saw as his birthright could see still be his - and she was more than happy to help him out. So, from their very first evening of their acquaintance, Maya was determined to have James Darcy.

It started off casually enough - she monopolized the conversation. Then she began laughing obnoxiously, loudly at everything James said. Will loved his brother, but there was no way he was even remotely as funny. Then, she overtly flirted with him after dinner until they retired for the night a few hours later.

James was too polite to say anything that was blatantly discouraging - for he thought that she was merely being nice, and to call her out as a flirt would be immeasurably rude - no matter how much Will silently admonished him for being a pushover. So, when Maya retired for the night, she had been beyond pleased with what she perceived was a very positive reaction from the man of her, well, plans.

The next morning, however, made an alteration in her original scheme. She'd been sitting at breakfast with Mrs. Darcy - who insisted on being called Aunt Anne - discussing James and his current lifestyle in what she hoped was a general, discreet manner. She began the conversation in a roundabout way - talking about her beautiful apartment on the Hunsford campus an hour away from San Francisco, Mrs. de Bourgh and her ideas of modern art, Mrs. de Bourgh and her views on single women over 25 - it dragged on for the entirety of breakfast, Mrs. Darcy interjecting with excited phrases and the like until this last topic was raised.

"So you are here to find a husband then?" she asked innocently. Maya gave her an indulgent smile. "I am - and I have very high hopes that, perhaps one of your older sons…" she trailed off suggestively.

Mrs. Darcy was happy to encourage this particular pursuit, but with a complaisant smile, cautioned her against the very James that Maya had fixed upon. "He is currently with Sophia Bingley - you will meet her soon, of course, she's a darling girl - and well, I don't want to jump the gun," she blushed prettily, "but two are practically going to move in together soon."

Maya's eyes went wide in disappointment and surprise - this was not something she'd counted on. Before she could say anything, Mrs. Darcy continued, "As for the next two sons, well, they are quite single, I shall say."

Maya had only to change from James to Will — and it was soon done — done while Mrs. Darcy was stirring the fire. Will, equally next to James in birth and looks, succeeded him of course. Mrs. Darcy treasured up the hint, and trusted that she might soon have two sons settled soon; and the woman whom she could not bear to speak of the day before was now high in her good graces.

A/N: A Collins and a Darcy? Now here is something that should not be happening even in our wildest dreams. Of course, Will Darcy is not quite the romantic that Elizabeth Bennet was in canon, but he knows what he wants from a partner - he only has to find someone that makes him feel that kind of way.

For those wondering why Mrs. Darcy is so obsessed with finding her sons wives/partners - in the 21st century where they have jobs and their own apartments and have gone to college - I'm going to get to it, I promise. Just not yet.

Anyway, please leave a review! It's very, very encouraging, and really gives me the motivation to keep going.


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